(Louisville, KY)—April 26, 2017—This is the beginning of the busy season for Earthbound Tree and Landscape for creating rain gardens that can manage potentially harmful storm water runoffs. The focus on “green” approaches in facility management both in industrial and commercial settings has seen a visible increase in recent years, according to Earthbound Owner and Landscape Expert Grayson Shiprek.

Earthbound Tree and Landscape, which serves Prospect, KY, has grown its offerings for professional office parks, apartment complexes, industrial facilities, and shopping centers with services that focus on sustainability for islands and main entrances in commercial settings. “Why shouldn’t everyday be Earth Day? There are healthy, organic approaches to reclaiming surface runoff water, and we’ve been working with corporations that are beginning to see the benefits of this thinking through rain gardens and also green roofs,” Shiprek said.

The concept is to have businesses build rain gardens to use native shrubs, trees and plants that are low maintenance and create a low-impact development environment, according to Shiprek. Rain gardens help capture runoff before it reaches the drainage system. The Metropolitan Sewer District has published its 3rd edition of a downloadable rain garden guide that explains further: “Designed with shallow, level bottoms, rain gardens soak up storm water runoff and filter out pollutants.

By diverting storm water into rain gardens from our roofs and driveways, we improve the health of our local waterways and, at the same time create beautiful gardens which sustain biodiversity.”

Old Brownsboro Crossing first installed a rain garden concept in 2006, with a $100,000 baseline project. Shiprek said. Now through the Fall is a good time to create a rain garden concept and /or update plant selections, he added. Trees that are often included are oaks, blackgum, and the Kentucky coffee tree. Perennials, like coneflowers, are also solid selections, as are serviceberry and the Itea sweetsphire shrub, as well as bottle brush grasses (Elymus hystrix), according to Shiprek.

DiAnne Hutcherson, Co-Managing Partner of the McMahan Group, which continues to develop Brownsboro Crossing, understands the importance of bushes, trees, and flower selection for commercial areas. “Earthbound maintains all our islands, and we do several flower change outs in a year, so his expertise in soil testing and planting history assists us in selections. We are bound by City of Prospect guidelines and rules, and his expertise is invaluable. Grayson has a good eye for what his team does, and we’ve been very pleased.”

His firm also works closely with Norton Brownsboro Hospital on its green roof approaches, and is in the planning stages for another green roof on the next building under construction.

Louisville is losing 54,000 trees a year, reports Louisville Loves Trees, a local non-profit that works to restore the area’s tree canopy. Shiprek said he supports their philosophy, because it makes senses.

“Operating in the commercial corridor of the Prospect area, I see tremendous vision to step out and take an action that could support our ecosystems and sustainability of our native species. We also like to see our clients reduce their costs, via tax savings from these projects, as well as even building or area maintenance that can reduce flooding and drainage problems,” Shiprek said.

By replenishing ground water, preservation of green spaces continues for our own health. Storm water runoff from all the hard surfaces in our urban community puts a tremendous burden on our aging infrastructure and stresses the watershed environment.

About Earthbound Tree and Landscaping

Earthbound Tree and Landscaping operates in the Prospect area of Kentucky serving commercial and industrial properties interested in an environmentally-sensitive approach to landscaping The company shares its headquarters on the La Minga Urban Farm at 13125 US Hwy. 42. For more information, go to: http://www.earthboundlandscaping.com/